(Trinidad Guardian) – KFC customers found an additional charge on their bills today, when the popular fast-food chain started charging for condiments with their meals.
The fast-food chain started charging $2 for three packets of ketchup or mustard and one packet of pepper in addition to the regular cost of its combo meal.
Several customers took to social media complaining of the charge after making the discovery on the receipts.
Chief Executive Officer of Prestige Holding Simon Hardy said the decision to charge for condiments was borne out of the numerous price increases as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which the franchise had absorbed.
“The cost of oil has gone up 65 per cent. We are Kentucky Fried Chicken and of course, the cost of packaging has gone up, the cost of chicken has gone up, the cost of our drinks has gone up. So everything is going up. And a lot of this is driven by the COVID disruption to the global supply chain,” Hardy said.
Hardy said the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia has created more complications along the supply chain, pushing up costs even more and leaving the franchise with no choice but to look at adjustments
“We acknowledge it is a major departure from our previous policies but we are in very different times and other than everybody paying more for their KFC meals we took this approach to try and mitigate the cost increases that we would otherwise have to do. That is the simple maths of it,” said Hardy, who confirmed no other Prestige franchise has made such a change as yet.